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HREYNOLDS.

PRESS.

Patented July 1Q,- 1881.

N4 PET'ERS. Phum-Limagnph'n wnshingxm D, C.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.`

GEORGE H', REYNOLDS, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., AssrGNOR OE TWO-THIERS ToCORNELIUS H. DELAMATERAND GEORGE H. ROBINSON, OE SAME PLACE.

PRvESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,672, dated July.19, 1881.

' Application nien June 22, 1881. (Melia.)

To all whom t may concern :V Y i Be it known that I, GEORGE H. REYNOLDS,of -the city and State ot' New York, have -invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Presses for Pressing and Baling Cotton and otherSubstances, of which the following is a full, clear, and enactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings formingpart of this specification.

IO This invention relates to presses for pressing or pressing and balingcotton and other substances, in which either an elastic iuid, as steam,or inelastic fluid, as water, is employed as thecompressing agent, andthe power is a progressive one by reason of variation in leverage of themechanical means used to transmit the force of said agent to the platen,and in which a compound bed or platen is used, the same comprising apressing-plate which is adjustablel independently ot the platen, andhydraulic devices or means for varying the distances apart vof thepressing-surfaces independent] y of tlie platen, to make available thefull effect ot' the leverage under varying thicknesses of bales orpackages.

It will suffice here to. describe steamf as the power used to Work theplaten of the press, and said press as being employed for pressing andbalin g cotton, and having its platen or follower 3o ,arranged to ei'ectthe compression in an upward direction; but such action may be reversedor the press be arranged to' work-in a horizontal or other directioninstead of `vertically. The means employed to transmit the working-powerot' the press to the platen with a progressive effect, by reason of anincreasing leverage, will here` be described as consisting of asteam-piston, racks on the rod of said pis- 4o ton, rocking toothedsectors, with which said racks engage, and rodsconnectin g said sectorswith the platen, but no claim is here made to vsuch means;

The invention consists in certain combinations of means whereby not onlythe pressure may be equalzed on bales or packages of unequal bulk orcapacity, but a straight action for the platen is obtained, regardlessof difference in. the hardness or compactness of the two ends of thebale or package under com- 5o pression; and, without having recourse tospecial mechanism for thepurpose, the adjustable pressing-plate is madeto always stop in one place when forced outward or down to its extremelimit, and caused to occupy a Xed convenient position for introducingthe bale orpackage to the press.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of apress suitable for pressing and baling cotton, constructed in ac- 6ocordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionof the same onthe line :rx Fig.

3, a horizontal section, upon a larger scale, through certain hydrauliccylinders connected with the pressing-bed or stationary resistanceplate,and pipes and valves for controlling the ingress and egress of water orother liquid to A and from said cylinders for the purpose of regulatingthe position of an adjustable pressingplate applied to said'bed; andFig. 4is a verti- 7o cal section of the same in part.

A is the main frame, which may be of any suitable construction, and B apressing-bed or stationary resistance-plate secured at any desiredheight from` the ground to said frame, .7 5 and having mounted on it asteam-cylinder, C, by or through which power is transmitted to themoving resistance plate or platen D which is here shown as arrangedbelow ,the bed or` stationary resistance-plate B. rlhe power is 8otransmitted from the cylinder C to the` platen l D, to eiiect thenecessary compressing action, by or through the upward movement ot'apiston within the cylinder C, controlled by the admission ofl the steamto the lower end of said cylinder. The platen, however, is notdirectlyconnected with said piston ,butindirectly, in order that thepress may have anincreasing power or action throughout thecompressingstroke of the platen by means of intervening 9o deviceshaving a varying leverage, as in other progressive power-presses.Thusthe rod E of the piston in the cylinder C is arranged to pass outthrough the upper end of said cylinder, and is furnished with racks b bon opposite sides of it. These racks gear with toothed sectors G G,arranged within the upper portion of themain frame, on opposite sides ofit,

and are provided with shafts or bearings c c, on or by which they arefree to rock.

H H are rods connecting the platen D with the sectors G G at any desireddistance from the centers of motion of said sectors, but in suchrelation thereto that when the platen is fully raised, as shown in' Fig.1, the sectors will exert their most powerful effect by reason ofthejoint-pins d, which attach the rods H to the sectors, approximating aculminating position over the centers or shafts c of said sectors, andso that when the platen is fully lowered the sectors, in commencing toraise the platen, will work at their least advantageous leverage, andprogressively or gradually become more effective as the jointpins dapproach their culminating position over the centers or shafts c. rIhislatter position of the parts, or any other given position approximatingit, forms the limit to the platens upper or pressing stroke, andlrepresents a fixed standard of pressure which it is desired to submiteach one of a series or any number of cotton or other bales or packagesto, regardless of their capacity or bulk of material to be pressed. 'lothis end, and in order that the cotton or other substance as pressed mayreach a uniform level to facilitate baling and delivery, regardless ofthe varying bulk of the bales, which :it is difficult or impossiblealways to equalize, the pressing-bed or stationary resistance-plate Bhas combined with it one or more hydraulic cylinders, I, having pistonsor rams J in them, which pistons or rams are attached to an adjustablepressing-plate, K, arranged beneath the resistance-plate B, and when atrest virtually forming a part of the same. These cylinders I are incommunication above the pistons or rams J by pipes L, havingcheck-valves l in them, with a tank,

M, arranged above the press and containing water or any other suitableinelastic uid, so that the pressing-plate K, forming part of orconnected with the stationary resistance-plate B, is forced outward ordownward and held in a given position by said water to allow of theplaten D rising under the thinnest bale to be pressed to its maximumheight, as hereinbefore referred to.

The adjustable pressing-plate K is guided in its up or down adjustlnentby working between uprights or guides S S, and is arrested, when fullyforced down or out, by stops m' m on said guides, thus providing,without the aid of special mechanism or plungers, for the adjustment ofthe pressing-plate K clear down to a convenient distance or height forintroducing the bale or package to the press. Applied to thewater-supply pipe L, however, or to a branch connection between two ormore of said pipes, is a valve or cock, N, operative by hand andcontrolling the egress of the water from the cylinders I back by areturnpipe, O, to the tank M, so that when in the course of pressingbales of different thickness or capacity it is seen that the bulk underpressure is too great to admit of the maximum pressure and highestposition for the platen being reached, the water, by turning the cock N,is allowed to iiow back by the pipe O into the tank M, and thepressing-plate K thus adjusted to admit of a uniform maximum compressingresult.

Instead of the adjustable pressing-plate K, cylinders I, and rams Jbeing applied to the stationary bed or resistance-plate B, saidadjustable pressing-plate, cylinders, and rams may be applied to themoving resistance plate or platen D. In this latter case the pipes whichconnect the tank with the hydraulic cylinders may either be flexible, orbe fitted to slide in stufling-boXes, to provide for the differentdistances of said cylinders from the tank consequenton the movementofthe platen.

The cock N, which controls the egress of the waterfrom the cylinders Iback by the pipe 0 to the tank M, is here shown as arranged between saidcylinders. By this arrangement of said cock the latter not merely servesto control the ingress and egress ot' water to and from both cylinders,but to separate said cylinders, so that when closed water cannot iiowfrom one cylinder to the other, and consequently, should the bale beharder at one end than the other, will not allow of one end of theplaten rising more than the other, so that the bale will be pressedsquare or regular at both of its ends.

I claiml. In a progressive power-press having an adjustablepressing-plate applied to one of its resistance-plates, and two or morehydraulic cylinders having rams which control said pressing-plate, and atank having supply and return pipes in connection with said hydrauliccylinders, a cock or valve arranged between said cylinders andconstructed to control the ingress and egress of the water to and fromsaid cylinders, and to prevent the liquid from passing from one of saidcylinders to the other, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with the pressing-bedor stationary resistance-plateB, and with the adjustable pressing-plate K and its hydraulic rams andcylinders J I, of the guides S for said pressing-plate, and the stops mm', attached to said guides, essentially as and for the'purpose hereinset forth.

3. The combination of the check-valves l with the liquid-supply pipes L,the tank M, the return-pipe O, the cock or valve N, the hydrauliccylinders I I, the pistons or rams J, the adjustable pressing-plate K,and the stationary bed or resistance-plate B,-essentially as and for thepurposes herein set forth.

GEO. H. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

HENRY T. BROWN, FRED. HAYNEs.

IIO

